The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : ‘Bus Day’ turns violent in Chennai

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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

‘Bus Day’ turns violent in Chennai

Staff Reporter

Buses damaged; 5 MTC crew injured

— PHOTO: K.Pichumani

In protest: MTC crew resorting to road roko near Thirumangalam on Thursday, demanding the arrest of a group of students who indulged in violence.

CHENNAI: A ‘Bus Day’ observed by students of Pachaiyappa’s College here on Thursday turned violent with some of them pelting crew members of Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses with stones near Anna Nagar West bus depot. Five crew members were injured.

According to police, the students got agitated when a bus driver refused to give them a drive beyond a point. Eyewitnesses said that a large group of boys boarded the bus on 41D route near the Ambattur OT bus stand at 11 a.m. Several of them even perched themselves on the roof. When the bus reached the Thirumangalam stop, some traffic police personnel intervened and asked the boys to climb down. The passengers and bus crew too insisted on the boys climbing down. The driver then took the vehicle to the depot and parked it there, refusing to drive any further. Provoked, some of the boys came armed with stumps and broke the front and back panels of three deluxe buses at the depot.

Edwin Prakash, an eyewitness, said that he saw around 40 to 50 students throwing stones on passengers seated inside some buses at the depot. Agitated MTC employees resorted to a road roko near Thirumangalam.“The students sought permission to celebrate ‘Bus Day’ which was denied. They boarded a bus and caused inconvenience to other passengers. When the MTC staff asked them to behave themselves, they threw stones,” said T.S. Anbu, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Anna Nagar).

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